The latest developments from the Israel-Hamas war.
Blinken reiterates US support for a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza
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Antony Blinken has reiterated that the United States supports “humanitarian pauses” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“The United States believes that all of these efforts will be facilitated by these humanitarian pauses,” Blinken said at a news conference in Amman about efforts to spare Palestinian civilians and speed up the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
His comments came as the US secretary of state sought to drum up support among Arab countries for planning a postwar future for Gaza
Blinken has tried to make plans for a postwar future for Gaza as he met with cautious Arab leaders during his last urgent mission to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
His talks in Jordan’s capital with officials angry and deeply suspicious of Israel as it intensifies its military operations came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Blinken’s blunt warning that Israel risks losing any hope Losing an eventual peace agreement with the Palestinians if it fails alleviates the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Blinken’s first meeting was with Lebanon’s acting prime minister, Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically devastated country is home to Hezbollah, an Iran-backed force hostile to Israel. The United States has grave concerns that Hezbollah, which has increased its rocket and cross-border attacks on northern Israel, will take a more active role in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave his first major speech on Friday since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks but did not predict his group would be more involved.
Blinken thanked Mikati for his leadership “to prevent Lebanon from being drawn into a war that the Lebanese people do not want.”
Blinken also discussed U.S. efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza.
Neither Blinken nor Mikati addressed reporters at the start of their meeting. Blinken did not speak publicly as he posed for photos with the foreign minister of Qatar, whose country has emerged as Hamas’ most influential interlocutor. Qatar was instrumental in negotiating the limited release of hostages held by Hamas and persuading Hamas to allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza and travel to Egypt.
Blinken also met with the head of the U.N. agency responsible for assisting Palestinian refugees and thanked Phillipe Lazzarini for his group’s “extraordinary work every day as a lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza and at the enormous cost.” So far, around 70 agency employees have died in the war, and supplies of essential supplies such as food, medicine and fuel are running dramatically low.
Blinken later began joint talks with the foreign ministers of Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the chairman of the PLO Executive Committee. All have denounced Israel’s tactics against Hamas, which they say constitutes an unlawful collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Blinken is visiting Turkey after visiting Israel and Jordan
The US State Department announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Turkey on Sunday and Monday as part of a tour of the Middle East amid the worsening conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Blinken visited Jordan on Saturday for talks with the United States’ Arab partners after leaving Israel the previous day.
He seeks to call for sparing of Palestinian civilians trapped in the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as well as longer-term prospects.
The State Department did not confirm a meeting between Blinken and the Turkish president in its press release, although one is expected.
Turkey announces the recall of its ambassador to Israel
Turkey has announced the recall of its ambassador to Israel for consultations as Israel refuses to accept a ceasefire in Gaza.
Ambassador Sakir Ozkan Torunlar was recalled amid “the ongoing humanitarian tragedy in Gaza caused by Israel’s continued attacks on civilians and Israel’s refusal to accept a ceasefire,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
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Turkey: For Erdogan, Netanyahu is “no longer someone we can talk to”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had cut off all contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu due to Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.
“Netanyahu is no longer someone we can talk to. We have given up on him,” said Erdogan, according to Turkish media.
On October 25, the Turkish president, who last met Benjamin Netanyahu in New York in September, announced that he was abandoning all his travel plans to Israel, claiming that he had been “abused” by the Israeli prime minister.
“You will not find another state whose army behaves so inhumanely,” he said, referring to Israel’s reprisals in Gaza.
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The Palestinian Hamas Health Ministry said Saturday that 9,488 people, including 3,900 children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war with Israel, which has been carrying out incessant airstrikes there.
Israel announced on October 29 that it would withdraw all of its diplomats from Turkey.
Erdogan made it clear on Saturday that Turkey was not breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel.
“A complete break in relations is not possible, especially not in international diplomacy,” Erdogan said.
He explained that Turkish Intelligence Agency (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin led Turkey’s efforts to end the war through mediation.
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However, Erdogan added that he believed Netanyahu bore primary responsibility for the violence and had “lost the support of his own citizens.”
“He must take a step back and put an end to this situation,” Erdogan said.
Gaza: Hamas Health Ministry reports 15 dead at UN school after Israeli bomb attack
The Hamas government’s Health Ministry has announced that 15 people were killed in an Israeli bombing of a school housing displaced people in a refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.
“In the massacre at al-Fakhoura School carried out by the Israeli occupiers this morning, 15 martyrs died and 70 were injured,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidreh said at a press conference.
The ministry initially published a report of 12 dead and 54 injured.
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No comment could initially be obtained from the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which manages the school in question.
An attack on a school turned into a makeshift shelter for displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip left 20 dead and dozens injured on Friday evening, according to the Hamas government.
On November 2, UNRWA announced that four of its schools in the area housing displaced people were hit by bomb attacks, killing 23 people.
The United Nations deplores the “sharp increase in hatred” worldwide since October 7th
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Saturday lamented “a sharp increase in hatred” in the world since the October 7 Hamas attacks.
In a press release, Türk strongly regretted the increase in cases of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other hate speech.
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“The effects of this crisis… have reverberated everywhere, dehumanizing both Palestinians and Jews. “We are seeing a significant increase in hate speech, violence and discrimination, a deepening of social fissures and polarization, and the denial of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” he said.
“I have heard Jews and Muslims say that they do not feel safe, and that makes me sad,” Turk added.
The High Commissioner also condemned the “inflammatory, poisonous and hateful rhetoric” of political leaders. “The flood of hate speech, including on social media, is abhorrent,” he said.
“International law is clear on this matter. “Any appeal to national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is prohibited,” he said.
Türk also expressed concern about restrictions on freedom of expression in the context of the conflict, noting that some countries have decided on significant restrictions on the right to demonstrate, citing risks related to national security or the glorification of terrorism.
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“States must ensure a safe space conducive to participation and debate,” he said. “They may not unduly restrict participation and debate or critical commentary on the conflict or expression of solidarity with Israelis or Palestinians.”
“In some cases, we have seen blanket or disproportionate restrictions on gatherings, particularly in the context of pro-Palestinian protests,” he added.
UN chief ‘horrified’ by Israeli attack on ambulance
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “appalled” by an Israeli army attack on an ambulance in Gaza on Friday, adding that the conflict between Israel and Hamas “must stop.”
“I am appalled by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Chifa Hospital. “The images of bodies scattered on the street in front of the hospital are heartbreaking,” the Secretary General said in a press release.
Netanyahu rejects US call for humanitarian pause in Gaza
Israel and the United States are apparently pursuing different approaches to securing the release of the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
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A senior Biden administration official said Friday that the U.S. believes there needs to be a “fairly significant pause” in fighting to allow for their release – following the example of a smaller pause last month that allowed for the release of two American hostages.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under White House rules, said the release was a “test pilot” for how a broader agreement could be reached and that negotiations for a “larger package” of hostages were underway . The official stressed that a significant cessation of fighting was needed to ensure their safety.
Israel has insisted that any pause must be preceded by the release of hostages as it seeks to increase pressure on Hamas and force the militant group to act.
After meeting on Friday with Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the idea of a “temporary ceasefire” without releasing the hostages.
While the United States opposes a ceasefire, it has called for a pause in fighting to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid, which enters the Gaza Strip via Egypt but is in insufficient quantities, according to the United Nations.
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The Gaza Strip, a small area of 362 square kilometers with a population of 2.4 million, has been under a “complete siege” since October 9 by Israel, which has cut off supplies of water, electricity and food.
The area had already been subject to an Israeli land, air and sea blockade since Hamas came to power in 2007.
UN condemns Israeli attack on ambulance in Gaza
The United Nations has condemned the Israeli army-confirmed ambulance bombing that killed fifteen people in Gaza on Friday.
They claimed their attack was aimed at members of Hamas – which the military group has denied.
“I am horrified,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, adding: “The images of bodies scattered on the street outside the hospital are heartbreaking.”
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Israeli aircraft “encountered an ambulance, identified by the armed forces as being used by a Hamas terrorist cell, near their position in the combat area,” an Israeli army statement said.
Israel’s claims “about the presence of militants in the attacked ambulances are false and are new lies added to the constant lies used to justify its crimes,” Hamas said in a statement posted on Telegram.
According to the Hamas Health Ministry, the attack left 15 dead and 60 injured.
Spokesman Ashraf al-Qidreh said the ambulance was part of a convoy carrying “several injured people on their way to hospital in Egypt.”
The Red Crescent confirmed the number of casualties, adding that a doctor was slightly injured by shrapnel in one leg.
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They added that “deliberately targeting medical teams constitutes a serious violation of the Geneva Convention.”
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – formerly
Israel attacks “terror cells” on Hezbollah positions – army
The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had attacked “two terrorist cells” and a Hezbollah “observation post” in response to an attempted firing from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
“In response to two terrorist cells attempting to fire into Israeli territory from Lebanon, the Israeli army attacked the cells and a Hezbollah observation post,” the army said in a statement.
They also said they responded to mortar fire from Lebanon against Israeli locations “in northern Israel” and said they caused no injuries.
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Since October 7, the Lebanese-Israeli border has been the scene of frequent exchanges of fire between the Israeli army on the one hand and the powerful Lebanese movement Hezbollah and its allies supporting Hamas on the other.
In his first speech since the start of the conflict, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused the United States of bearing “sole responsibility” for the war between Israel and Hamas.
He also warned Israel of the “foolishness” of attacking Lebanon, adding that stopping “aggression against Gaza” would prevent a regional conflict.
Rising tensions on the Israeli-Lebanese border have raised fears of a regional expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas.